I have to admit that when I chose to study glaucoma, I didn’t appreciate its complexity or how challenging it would be. It seemed to me that you only had a single variable (eye pressure) that you had to worry about, and that you had to only make it go in one direction (down), right? To say that I underestimated my opponent would be my life’s great understatement.

I now know that glaucoma is ophthalmology’s most challenging and rewarding field. Let me explain. The irreversible, blinding disease is horrible, but we can, and must, use everything at our disposal to combat it. The best things we have going for us in this field are our wonderful patients. We develop lifelong, meaningful relationships with our patients that exist everywhere from the clinic, to the laser suite, to the operative theater. No matter what treatment they need, we are there.

We use many tools to take care of our patients. Because glaucoma exists and impacts the eye from the ocular surface through the retina and back to the brain, everything in between is our territory. Glaucoma specialists are comfortable imaging and treating all parts of the eye. I never practice a day without examining the retina, treating the ocular surface, treating cataracts, or thinking about the optic nerve. Glaucoma is a truly comprehensive subspecialty. And because we care for our patients at all stages of life, we may be involved in many milestone moments, from the onset of presbyopia to cataract surgery.

Glaucoma treatment is currently in a wonderful phase of innovation as we make significant strides in the field of microinvasive glaucoma surgery and sustained delivery. What an honor it has been to see these paradigm changing advances happen during my career.

If there’s one thing I have not found in the field of glaucoma, it is complacency. Every day I see patients who continue to suffer from this seemingly relentless disease. That gives me the energy to wake up and learn, try to approach new problems or adopt a new mindset, and to look toward the future when we will hopefully be able to best care for our patients. So I have glaucoma to thank for teaching me humility as well.

So please join us in this issue of Glaucoma Physician as we take on glaucoma “firing on all cylinders.” We have wonderful articles on pediatric glaucoma, innovations in tonometry, suprachoroidal devices, and more. We hope that our expert writers will inspire you to learn and to rise to the challenge of this tough disease. GP

Dr. Radcliffe is a clinical associate professor of ophthalmology at the New York Eye and Ear Infirmary of Mount Sinai and a surgeon at the New York Eye Surgery Center.